Vimeo’s video recording app Cameo gets indie music boost

Cameo, the iPhone video recording app that Vimeo acquired in March, relaunched with a bigger focus on music Wednesday, allowing users to combine their clips with select songs from a variety of indie bands. The update also includes an option to upload Cameo clips straight to Vimeo.

The new Cameo app features a music interface that makes it easier to pick songs as soundtracks. “Music and video go hand in hand, and by connecting enthusiasts of both, Cameo is inspiring user creativity and facilitating personal connections between fans, artists and creators,” said Cameo VP Matthew Rosenberg.

Cameo actually faced some criticism when it first made the move towards a curated music catalog, with some of its users arguing that they’d rather use songs from their own library for their videos — something that was possible in earlier versions of the app, but has since been disabled. Asked about this, Rosenberg said: “Many emerging artists have been victim to pirating on other mobile video platforms, and our goal is to develop relationships with these artists and get them the exposure they need to be successful.”

Cameo isn’t the only app that aims to simplify the creation of shareable videos. YouTube released its own Capture app for iOS in late 2012, and Vine has added Twitter to the list of contenders as well. However, Rosenberg argued that Cameo sets itself apart from the competition by offering features like HD recording and collaborative editing, as well as the ability to record and share videos that are longer than what’s available to Vine or Instagram users. “It’s very much rooted in the storytelling experience,” he said.

A previous version of this story incorrectly referred to Cameo VP Matthew Rosenberg as “Mark.”